


The Hound of Rin Tohsaka

by FuwaFuwaMedb



Category: Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Fate/stay night - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-18 21:00:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29249940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FuwaFuwaMedb/pseuds/FuwaFuwaMedb
Summary: She'd found the two hounds whilst lost amongst the wilds of ancient Ireland. Lost and alone, they'd become a way to survive and thrive in an otherwise senseless world. Which was why, the moment she kissed her pup's snoot and found him becoming a man, Rin finds herself thrust into a world of curses, magecraft, and wild warriors of old.
Relationships: Cú Chulainn | Lancer/Tohsaka Rin, Sétanta | Saber/Tohsaka Rin
Comments: 7
Kudos: 38





	1. A Rin Out Of Time

The linens were brought in before the first drops fell forth from the heavens.

The dark clouds were rolling over the skies above, the lights flashing here and there, like paparazzi to the lands below. The roars with each bit of lightning illuminated the cracks around the windows of the home she had claimed as her own. She’d placed a few buckets down upon the weathered table, allowing the dripping roof to be stopped from further damaging the home’s interior. It would supply more fresh water for baths and for cooking as well.

There was metal spear that was mounting near the hearth now. The meat speared upon it had been cooking for a time now, seasoned and carefully cleaned with some of the boiled water that she had prepared early in the morning. Its smell was circulating the space, shadowing the eyes of the beast that lay on the fur not far from the fireplace.

A tongue would move into sight here and there as the storm raged on.

“Don’t you dare,” she warned, pulling her attention from the parchment in her hands. Her feather quill paused from what she was writing, eyes narrowing as she saw the white pups nearing the fire.

The red eyed one she had come to love paused once more, looking her way.

“You know I’ll share, but only if you wait until it finishes cooking, Cu.”

A whining of a noise came, but it seems he gets it. The pup moves to his companion’s side, cuddling close.

Rin couldn’t help but to watch them cuddling for a moment.

She knows that ornery Cu won’t hesitate from stealing if she isn’t paying attention. She’s seen him do it before and she will probably see him do it again. Those red eyes do come to look her way, but he gives a sniff and rolls to his side.

Clever beast, but he knows that’s not going to be tolerated.

Hunting was hard.

A year ago, she had come here from the wondrous land of Japan. She wasn’t sure how. She wasn’t sure why, but she had found herself in the midst of a green glen with the sun shining overhead. She had stumbled and tripped her barefoot way to the nearest village, watching them gape and panic at the sight of a wee fae folk.

Run out of one village and into the next, she had gone hungry, picking berries and wild grasses to eat before promptly becoming sick. Her skin had burned under the unforgiving sun time and time again. Her tears had fallen in the nights, her voice calling out for anyone who could understand Japanese.

In time, she’d surrendered her own words, opting to hide near a village and see their language being taught to children.

It was then that she had found this pup nearing her.

Cu meant hound, but a hound was a protector of the homestead. It was a beast that would care for its own and stand upon its own two feet. She had learned it from a children’s tale she had learned upon finally being able to speak to the people here in choppy whatever language they spoke was.

“Tomorrow we need to go into town to collect some more things. I want to see if the merchant is around once more to sell me more stories,” Rin tells her pups.

She knows Beady Eyes will wander off to hunt and check their traps, no doubt meandering around on the edge of the woods for a while, but Cu will come with her.

Cu remained close to her side most of the time, keeping her safe from trouble.

A nefarious stranger wants to reside in her hideaway, threatening her in the night?

Cu would attack and kill them.

Hunters chase after Beady Eyes as the pup comes back to her and Cu?

Well, she’d buried a few bodies before. One more wouldn’t matter.

Well, it wouldn’t make a difference, since this place had no cops to investigate crimes. They had no schools for children to run along to or cars and roads to bring people from place to place. Gone was the age of technology and medicine in the form of pills and colorful medicines. She’d seen a man sneezing up a storm in the fields, cursing the gods and the fae for cursing him. She’d seen an elderly woman complain of the wee folk dancing upon her back in the night hours, destroying her poor body.

“Wee lass, beware the fae, for they make one do terrible things,” one of the elders had told her once, handing her some woven fabric. “Are you still living out in the middle of that nowhere land? You should find a boy in the village and settle in. You are of the age of wee bairns.”

“I will think about it,” she had replied simply.

A clap of louder thunder brought her from her thoughts now.

Rin sighed, setting the paper in her hands down as she moved from her chair.

“Make some room for me,” Rin told the two by the hearth. The moment she was up, it seemed like she had awakened the flurries of tails that were her pups. Both had their tails going at full throttle, their eyes widening as they realized she was adjusting and perhaps finishing their dinner tonight. The roast they’d gotten was pulled carefully from the spear, brought over to the table and the pot she’d pulled from the fire a bit earlier.

Cu and Beady Eyes wouldn’t be wanting the vegetables, but they’d enjoy the meat.

Since they were the ones that had caught it to begin with, she had no problem with sharing either. She shaved enough meat to make some leftovers after she ate. Then, the majority of her meat that had been cooking was thrown to their plates, leaving the two to crowd and dance around her legs.

“I have to put the plates down.” She told them, laughing a little. “Go to the hearth. I’ll bring them to you.”

Cu listened, all but prancing to where he needed to be.

As usual, Beady took advantage to hop up onto her, trying his best to reach the food she held up on high.

“BEADY!”

The whine came a moment before Cu growled.

“Thank you, Cu.”

She set his plate down first, calling once more for a distraught Beady Eyes to settle into a good squat first.

It had been about a year or so.

A year to get to this point of survival, where it wasn’t so much about being able to find things so much as it was maintaining this level of comfort. Whoever had abandoned this home had been someone of some wealth, having left a warm and comfortable bed with furs and stuffed cushions behind. There were combs of fine metal and pottery in finer condition than those she’d seen in the village.

Rin turned her eyes to the ceiling, watching the water drip through a hole here and there.

If they had not found this place, then surely it would have fallen into disrepair. Even as quick as she was to learn how to make things like pottery and baskets from the villagers, there was still a great deal she couldn’t even do. Fixing the roof was one thing. Skinning animals still left her squeamish, leaving her to cry each and every time, at least until Cu would come to comfort her.

Watching Cu now, she could see why her friends in school had loved their dogs. The sheer amount of loyalty that the beasts had and their devotion to their master was second to none. The villagers only tolerated her because she caught what they saw as far more valuable beasts to skin and cook. The strangers that passed were more and more dangerous each time, leaving her suspect of anyone.

Each and every time though, she always had Cu.

Those red eyes glanced her way, watching for a moment as he slurped some of his meal up.

His head cocked to the side a bit, watching her watch him.

Dogs were the best companions. There was no doubt of that. Between becoming a mother like the villagers wanted her to do or remaining here with Cu and Beady, she would rather the latter. At least this way, she could do her magic to help them here and there or simply keep them safe. Trusting a villager, who would see her magecraft as fae folk’s craft, was not a good plan.

“Come here,” Rin murmured, moving to her knees.

How could someone still growing up need to think about these things like this? She wasn’t even old enough to go to a college. She wouldn’t even be too far in high school at this point. It wasn’t necessary to think about children like this world wanted her to do.

Cu’s velvety fur was enough to calm her nerves though. The soft whining he gives leaves her to smile a little.

“Are you still hungry?”

A few more whines came, leaving her to laugh a little.

“How is it that you don’t ever catch enough for that belly of yours?”

His nuzzling left her laughing a little, her face pressing to his fur a little more. This pup was going to do her in in the end. Such a hungry boy.

Rin finds herself pressing her lips to his muzzle, right on the tip of his snoot as she pulls back.

“Alright, you wait right here a moment and I’ll see what to pull forth from my soup for you.”

The scuffling noises behind her aren’t what make her pause as she turns away. It’s the rush of wind that blows at her hair, the feeling of magic sparking forth from behind her and making her hair stand on end. She can’t turn around from the onslaught of energy that blasts at the room. Her papers fall about the floor as the firelight threatens to be blown out. Her hands hold the container of her dinner so it doesn’t fall like her bucket of water on the table nearby.

“What…”

Rin waits, finding the room dimmer than before. The storm is still raging outside. If this was some kind of enemy coming to attack, she’d need Cu to-

A soft growl comes from behind her, from Beady Eyes.

“Calm yourself, Amergin, it’s me.”

The voice is younger sounding, almost playful in tone. Yet nothing about it has her calming down. She can’t breathe as she waits, trying to decide if the food was hot enough and actually worth using to attack the person behind her.

Killing was unpleasant, but her dagger that Cu had brought her was sitting on the counter nearby. If she could just reach it.

She just needed to know if the other was armed first. Could she use magic on someone that had just blasted energy like the most powerful of mages?

“Lady Rin?”

The other’s voice came again from behind her, leaving her to wait. It would only be a matter of time before Cu lunged. Any second, she’d be able to grab the dagger and finish the person behind her.

“You really saved my pup and I, you know,” the boy behind her praised. “We’d been wandering for months before you, looking for any kind of mage that could undo the curse that Chulainn had put on me. We could hunt, but you know- the hair gets stuck in your fangs and our fur was getting real matted.”

Rin turned, glancing to the boy that stood behind her.

The clothing he wore was strange, the blue pants didn’t cover all of him. His black shirt went down to meet the black shorts that he wore beneath his larger pants. The leather straps over his shoulders held up a hood. He looked like ancient video game character more than someone from around here. It didn’t help with the odd bracelets around his one hand or his electric blue hair.

“We’ve never really met like this before, have we?” The boy smiled sheepishly, laughing a little. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Rin of lands far. I am Setanta, although many knew me in Chulainn’s territory as Cu Chulainn. I had almost thought you’d seen my identity after a bit, since you’ve been calling me Cu all this time.”

The laughing didn’t help her mood. If anything, Rin narrowed her eyes, debating the dagger again.

“Ah! But you’ve been calling Amergin a random name too. He’s my pup. I kind of got a bit cursed after stealing one of Chulainn’s. He was going to kill the runt and, well, I’ve got a soft spot for pups, you know? And look how sweet he is!”

Setanta moved to where Beady was curled up, sweeping the pup into his arms and earning a barrage of kisses from him.

“Amer- I mean- Beady Eyes is your dog?”

“Amergin is, kind of, my dog… He’s more like yours now though. You’ve taken care of us so well all this time. You’re a great cook, Rin. You make a good fire too.”

Did he have to make that cheeky grin when he said that?

The glint in his eyes was too excited. His words were almost too hard to comprehend, leaving her to stand there like a fool for a few moments as she tried to translate what he was saying into something she could comprehend.

Her head was hurting.

“S-So you were Cu, my dog Cu?”

“Yes,” Setanta gave a nod, hugging Amergin close. “Until you broke Chulainn’s curse. Glad you did too. You’re a lifesaver.”

“What curse did you have?”

Her father had never mentioned much about curses when she’d trained with him. Before the grail war, he’d only told her not to go looking around in his books in the basement. Nothing good would come of them, he’d warned. Even now, after a year in this place, she found it impossible to remember what had happened, but she had gone poking around in his books.

Perhaps his curse was in relation to her own.

Maybe he could help her, since she had somehow helped him.

“Well,” Setanta drawled. “I may have killed Chulainn’s dogs when he invited me to a dinner party. I was a little late and he thought it’d be real funny to have me killed by his hounds, but I ended up killing them. So he had to buy new pups and I was stuck training them. Which is fine, ya know, but I took real well to this here boy Amergin and Chulainn didn’t care for me taking one of his fine hounds, even if it was a runt he was going to kill. Next thing I knew, he was having some white haired bastard turning me into a hound to train. I fled with Amergin and we were lost for a while before finding you surviving off the lands in the woods.”

“I was doing fine,” Rin pointed out.

“Ah, sure, but you looked a little peckish. We figured you’d appreciate a good rabbit or two. Maybe a good fox or large bird here and there.”

She’d found them coming every day with more meat for her. Rin bit her lip, trying to think carefully about how to continue.

Setanta seemed to know though. He moved to settle Amergin back by the hearth and stepped her way, nodding a little at her.

“I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but you’ve not eaten and I’ve made a mess. Let’s try to get some food in you and get you curled up by the hearth before we go on. I promise I won’t come onto ya like some of the vandals you’ve had the misfortune of encounterin’.”

“You swear?”

“As a child of Lugh himself, I vow it. You’re safe and sound… until you want to come cuddlin’ like we normally do after dinner. In which case, I’ll hold you close in your favorite fur.”

It feels warm for some reason when he says that. The rain is still dripping into the room though, leaving Cu to curse a little as he now notices the puddle nearby.

“Agh, but shit. I hate that leak. Let me get a chair and I’ll get to patching the roof a little. Eat your food, Rin. I’ll snack on some of the greens you eat and we can talk, alright?”

She still hesitates, but he seems to be done with the debate on the matter.

His hands are pulling at some strange clay slabs in the corner, moving to the doorway and out into the world. She could hear the lightning and the thunder going on as a shadow moved away from the door. The sound of steps could be heard on the rooftop, joined a moment later by a strange scraping.

Her leak over the table stopped.

Rin stared up, blinking a moment before she shook her head.

He’d said to eat, right?

Well, she’d do that then.

It had to be a trick or something. She hadn’t done anything more than kiss her pup before. If this was a trick, then she needed to be wary.

Whoever Setanta was, she’d test his knowledge of her when he came back.

Only the pups would know certain things about her.

Setanta himself would be proven as an imposter once he failed her questioning.


	2. Fireside Companionship

The rain was still coming down hard as Rin settled onto her fur pallet near the hearth, her food bowl in hand and her wolf friend, Amergin- Beady Eyes- whatever they preferred to be called, near her side. The holes in the ceiling seemed to be dealt with now. There was no more water leaking into the house. She could hear the all too familiar whistle of the winds that would creep into the house vanishing after a few more minutes.

She wasn’t sure how the other had handled it, but she couldn’t say she disliked it.

Help is help.

It just so happened that her help, the boy her age, was someone she didn’t know or really trust.

He came in like a dog coming out of the rain as well. Hair flying loose around his shoulders as he pushed the door closed and wiped at his face. He shook, as though he were going to somehow be dry from that.

“You’re getting water all over the house!”

“Ah- Right. Sorry,” the boy grinned, running a hand through his hair. “Let me grab one of those towels things that you always insist on.”

She didn’t insist on them, she just knew how to take care of herself properly. Why was he making it out like towels were weird?

The boy grabbed one of the fabrics she’d sewn horribly together, beginning to wipe himself down before he was leaning forward and putting his hair up… and putting his… And putting-

“What are you doing?” Rin asked.

“I’m trying to do what you do,” Setanta confessed, growling a little. “How the hell do you do that thing where you wrap up your hair?”

“You’re not even trying to do it.”

“What are you talking about? Of course I am. You just take the towel and you wrap it around your hair.” He tried to show it, lord knows he did, but the towel can’t just be wrapped around loose hair in the manner he tried. It’s all too pathetic to see how it flutters to the floor, leaving him to grumble and try again to the same effect.

“That’s not going to work,” Rin warns him.

“I can do it.”

He could not do it.

A half dozen more tries had her sighing. It wasn’t going to work. He was pushing a habit that was unnatural to him onto himself. He needed to do what suited him best. Either that or he needed to ask for help. There was nothing that said that he couldn’t ask her to help.

“Setanta,” Rin began.

“Just a second, Rin.”

Just a second was turning into several more minutes as he got it up only to lean to grab something and have the towel come tumbling off. A soft curse left his lips a moment before Rin sighed.

He wasn’t going to manage it.

“Stay put,” she told him simply, moving to stand and setting her bowl down nearby. She gave a warning gesture to Beady Eyes Amergin to not eat her food before she was walking to their foolish guest. He was making an unnecessary scene.

“Rin?”

“Lean your head forward for a second,” she replied, trying to ignore the stress of the fool before her as she took the towel away.

“O-oh. Right… Sure.”

He was warm, with his hair already drying to such a point. It was strange, as she found herself brushing a hand through what had to be the softest hair she’d ever felt. Her fingers drifted through it, only to find knots.

“…Stay like this.”

She had a comb around here somewhere. If this jerk was going to be here, she would at least get him fixed up.

Then he was leaving and she was finding Cu.

He didn’t move an inch from the moment she left his side though. Rin grabbed her comb, glancing his way and watching as he remained just there. His body was bowed forward, hair falling over his face. He stayed despite how annoying that would be. It blocked his view. She could have been grabbing a knife that she had on the counter. She could have pulled out a sword or something heavy to kill him with.

But he just stood there, waiting despite the risk.

It hadn’t been too long ago that she had done that.

The guests she had been around had tried to attack her. It had only been Cu’s actions that had stopped her from being harmed.

“…You shouldn’t trust people so easily,” Rin warned.

“Oh?”

Rin nodded, swallowing at the lump forming in her throat. There were goosebumps now, a chill setting as tension twisted through her shoulders. She could feel the urge to shove him out of the house. Instinct said she needed to find Cu first, but…

“Brush out your hair,” Rin demanded, shoving the comb forward so it was in the boy’s view.

“Thanks,” the flash of a smile made the tension all the worse, leaving her making the excuse of throwing another log on the fire so she wouldn’t have to turn her back to the boy nearby.

Log in place, she settled by the hearth, forgoing her food for now.

“You’re a sweet lass, you know?” Setanta brushed his hair back into place, beginning with combing at the ends of his hair. The boy didn’t even hesitate from joining her, settling in by the fire and pulling off the garments he had on.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

“Uh- Rin? I’m soaking wet.” He shedded down to the black short sleeved unitard that he had on. “I can’t be running around in all that just to get a flu. You’ll be stuck either caring for me or killing me.”

He laughed.

She didn’t.

At the silence, that gentle laugh lessened, his brows furrowing.

“Hey. I was just kidding about the killing me. You always tend to undress and wrap up in some furs when you come in from the rain. My ma used to do the same thing when I was younger. It’s just somethin’ you do, right? I swear I’m not here to do anything more than stay with you.”

“Absolutely not.”

“What?!”

Rin shook her head. “I have Cu and I have Beady Amergin here. I don’t need you around.”

“A-And I told you, I was Cu- Am Cu. Did you miss the whole ‘you broke the curse speech I havered on about before going outside to fix the roof temporarily?”

“I don’t _know_ that you’re Cu though, do I?” Rin shook her head. “I’m not a mere maiden like the women in the village nearby. I raise beasts. I live out here in the wild and I don’t get close to any man like these people demand. I’m…” She tried to think of a proper term for what she was.

Mages weren’t supposed to let people in on them being mages. If this were a grail war, then the bystander would have to die.

One more death was not going to make a difference in her books, but it was the principle.

The less risks she took, the better.

A part of her was tempted to say a ninja. Ninjas were pretty bloody and violent, but were there ninjas in these lands? Thinking about it, she couldn’t remember hearing anything about them. The damn language around here and that this boy was saying was hard to know enough of for normal conversation.

There was that one group though.

“I am a fae,” Rin told him.

“Y-you’re a fae?”

“Yep,” Rin nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’ve probably heard about my kind of people. We’re quite violent. You’ll be at risk every second that you’re near me!”

He stared at her for a full minute.

“What?”

“You’re a Fae?”

“Yes.”

“As in, a Tuatha de Dannan?”

“That would be me.” She had no idea what that drivel that just came out of his mouth was, but she’d agree until he tried to get too descriptive. Her father had always said a good lie has to stay simple.

“Really?” He frowned a little, leaning forward.

“Yes, really, so in the morning, when it stops raining-“

“Well, my father is Lugh so we can cover one another’s backs, right?” The smile was back, his legs stretching a little more towards the fire. “I’ve been protecting you for this long, what’s a little while longer. Besides, fae or not, you’re real cute.”

Cute… _CUTE?_

“I’m gonna grab some food! It’s so damn nice here,” he declared, hauling himself up as the whole house felt like it had caught fire. There was no hesitation, no respect for what she was going through. He didn’t even seem to notice that she was struggling for air as he scooped himself up some food into a bowl and plopped right back down by the fire.

No, he was all grins as he stabbed at his food and began to eat.

Amergin settled between them, looking between them both with a grumble.

“HEY!”

The boy nearly dropped his food.

“I AM NOT CUTE!” Rin spat, refusing to not have the last word.

“You’re incredibly cute.”

“NO! I AM DANGEROUS!”

“Dangerously cute.” Setanta flashed a sheepish smile her way. “Sometimes I’d snuggle closer when I was a pup just because I liked watching you wake up in the morning and get the sleepy happy look on your face that you get sometimes. I’ve never met anyone who was a cuddly morning person before.”

“I AM NOT CUDDLY IN THE MORNING!”

“You definitely are, isn’t she, boy?” The jerk dared to bring Amergin into this, earning a panting and eager look from the pup.

“Don’t make him agree to that! WAIT!”

She scooted away from them.

“…Is he a person too?”

“Say what?”

“Amergin, he’s not a person cursed to be a dog, is he?”

The boy stared again, making her face feel hotter by the second.

She was going to kill them both for this. Here she was thinking she’d trained two dogs into being at her beck and call, really taking control of this messed up situation, and it turned out that they were both humans in disguise?!

“Nah, girl. Amergin’s a pup. I pulled him as a wee thing from his mom.” The laugh was back, but so was the coiling tension telling her to go for the dagger in the kitchen. “I was just the idiot turned into a beast. Besides, I don’t think Amergin and I would get along so well if we were both human.”

“And why’s that?”

“We both like you.”

They both-

Rin stood up, glaring at him and opening her mouth to tell him right off.

Any second now, she’d tell him exactly where he could take those words and do away with them. He was going to get his just desserts, the words that would rip that smile right off that face of his and put him in his place, as her father used to say.

Any second now…

Any…

“You’re a boy, idiot!”

Turning on her heels, forgetting all about the safety precaution of not giving her back to this guy, she dove into the comforts of her furs. She wrapped them around her as though the boy was a specter, banned from crossing the safety of blankets.

Her eyes narrowed on him as he blinked.

“Rin,” he said after a moment. “Are you going to eat-“

“Not with you.”

“Ah, alright then.” He looked to Amergin, giving the pup a shrug before he went back to eating. His eyes fell to the writings nearby, focusing on them as the rain and thunder continued to remind her that she was stuck with this guy.

God was a jerk.

“I like this tale,” Setanta offered, once more talking to her despite her lying down now. “It’s a good tale about the invasions of the early people of our lands. Neat stuff.”

She didn’t care, she wanted to find a way home.

“I could sing a good tune if you wanted,” Setanta offered now. “Normally you speak in that other tongue of yours, but I know a few tunes of these lands you could learn. The Ode to Anu is a good one. It goes a little like-“

What a jerk.

Coming in, fixing the roof, eating some of her food, trying to be nice; what was his game?

She really wanted to go home.

“Rin,” the boy called, making her curl up further into the sheets.

Why didn’t he get it? He needed to go away. He needed to- well, if he was Cu, then she only had Amergin now. What was worse was that he would probably take Amergin with him. She’d be alone again.

A soft whine came, leading to Setanta’s loud sigh.

“It’s fine, boy. Leave her bowl alone. She may get hungry later. I think I may have come on a bit strong. I wish Fergus was around to ask about this kind of thing with. Talking to girls is so hard.”

The silence of the rain and the thunder pressed in before she heard the movement in the room.

“Amergin, you go sleep next to Rinny. I’ll sleep by the door. We gotta keep our friend safe, don’t we? She’ll feel more like herself in the mornin’. She’s a bonny thing when she isn’t dealing with surprises like me popping into human form like I did. She’s probably just scared half to death and struggling on whether or not to kill me.”


	3. Cold Nights And Cold Shoulders

Her body was shivering.

It was what had alerted him to move in the first place. If he hadn’t seen her body shaking underneath her furs and her blankets, he would have remained in his place by the door. He would have been responsible and stayed when he was needed.

But she had been shaking, her face and body curling in to the blankets as she tried to stave off the cold. Even with a trip over to the fireplace to add a couple logs, it didn’t stop her shaking. The woman was cold, no doubt from a draft or a weakness in the materials of the wall or ceiling of this house. He’d brought her here knowing it was his father figures’ old home, but that didn’t seem to be helping her at all. The three fools must have done a poor job when they were at the end of their time in this place.

There wasn’t a lot of options for helping her right now.

It was either give her all her towels to hide under, move her to the fire and risk a stray ember setting her ablaze due to all the blankets and furs, or…

His body slipped beneath the blankets, his arms reaching out to pull her body closer to his own. He could feel her seeking out the heat of his body, pulling him in closer before he could try to even do anything. Her face moved to his neck, burying into his hair.

He was against the girl.

Before had been one thing. He’d been in that fur coat, having taken the form of a wolf. The woman had buried her face into his fur and held him to keep warm in the dead of winter. She would spend hours marveling at his heat and smiling at him with that strange look in her eyes that would make his heart pound away.

There was something magical in the way she acted.

Being human at her side now, he couldn’t deny it in the least.

She was fae magic or something. That was the only reason his heart could pound away in his chest and the only reason his poor soul couldn’t stop running over the thought of her smile again and again.

Her pale visage was against his collarbone. Her brown tresses were spilling over his arm. Those thick lashes were hiding away her blue eyes. She seemed completely unaware of the rabbit-paced heart pounding beneath her.

Setanta glanced to Amergin, hoping for some wisdom right about now.

Just a little help would be great.

A look of ‘she’s just a lass’ or maybe a ‘you’re just keeping her warm’ expression would suffice. He just needed something that would-

Her arms tightened on his waist, pulling him in closer.

Her lips parted, making him bit his lip.

Well…

There was no doubt now that he was as heinous as his god of a father. One human girl showing him the time of day and he was melting away like iron for the smithy. He was all molten and ablaze, his face turning a deep red.

“I’ll keep you warm,” he promised her, taking a moment to tentatively stroke her dark hair.

It was so soft.

She smelled like the glens after a light rainfall. She smelled like the flowers and blooms, beckoning him in closer. His touch met nothing but the smoothest of stone-like softness. Without flaw or cracks, the woman was far lovelier than anyone he’d ever seen.

When they’d found her, she’d been matted and scared, but now…

Now, she was lovely.

A whining came from nearby, drawing his eyes over to where Amergin was making noises, moving up closer to their bodies. His snout was snuggling up to move underneath Rin’s arm over his chest. The cold nose had him shivering a little, a smile growing as he pulled the beast up to them as well.

“You cold, my friend?”

The tail wag said no.

“Ah, you’re thinking of how cute she is too, huh?”

Setanta smirked, nodding at the hound.

They were on the same page then. Rin was a worthy lass. Wherever she’d come from, her family was missing out on a glorious example of strength and perseverance.

A man tried to grab her in her home?

She wielded the dagger like the finest of men, slashing without mercy. No limitations or grace in her motions from there. She would slice below the belt, jab at the eyes; none of it mattered so long as she came out at the end. The woman put the word savage into savagery.

But she was methodical. She dragged the bodies herself.

Her hands dug up the graves, each and every time, letting the bodies find their earthy homes and a moment of silence seeing them to the goddess, Danu.

No tears were shed.

There was no doubt in her mind what had to be done and what the costs were if she hesitated. There were never moments where she would succumb to fear and doubt. The moment she was in danger, her reflexes came in. Her warrior spirit would bloom like the flowers she loved so much, the depth of her spirit allowing her to tap into that emotionless need to act.

Numbers were insignificant.

Costs were of little matter.

Her mind went: Survive, cover your tracks, thrive.

And now she was snuggling closer to him, taking in more of his warmth.

It was a shame he was a little young for a spouse. His mother had always had him focus on becoming stronger first. A woman can always be sought after in a while. This was his time to gather strength and notoriety. He could prove himself as a great warrior of Ulster and then claim himself a good woman for a home.

“What do you think of her, Amergin?” Setanta murmured. “Isn’t she great? We should just be friends with her, huh?”

The woman in his arms stiffened a little.

Was she still cold?

Amergin was drooling a little. Maybe he had gotten the blankets too wet with his drool.

Setanta pulled the blankets up a little more, allowing the girl to warm up a little more.

It wasn’t much sleep, but he closed his eyes and let the warmth and the silence of the home take him into its embrace. The nothingness of rest came over him, spinning the great wheel of time away until he could open his eyes to the absence of the rainfall. 

A few birds were singing outside.

A faint bit of light was creeping in from the closed shutters.

Morning was here.

Amergin moved first, slipping off the bed and trekking to the door. It was time to relieve himself and bid the new day a good morrow. He couldn’t agree more.

Rin was so warm though. She was still so gorgeous in the morning light. Her hair had so many unique little tones of color in it. It glinted with rich sunrise colors of gold and copper, luring him in. It was a deep brown in color, almost like an evening forest kind of hue.

Amergin whined softly.

“Alright, friend, alright,” Setanta murmured, mourning the moment he moved away from the woman in his arms. He tucked her in tight, hesitating over her.

Was there something he was supposed to do with a cute girl in his arms?

It felt like he should treat her a little like his old mom. He was tempted to press his lips to her cheek and see if she wanted some thing to eat, but that was a little strange. He didn’t care for her like he did his mom. The odd fluttering feeling in his chest was a far cry from the comforts and protectiveness a kid had for their mom.

Yeah, none of it made much sense, but Rin was one of those odd fae-like folk.

She had said she was a fae.

Maybe it was just her magic. She was making him all mushy and mud-like beneath her presence.

That was probably it. He moved to the door, opening it for his friend and fixing his clothes and extra fabrics into place. Lucky for him that magician man had turned him into a beast and let him keep his clothes. Otherwise, he’d be relying on Rin to make him somethin’ to wear.

Doubtful she’d dress him, all things considered.

He moved to grab the staff she’d taken as her own, stepping out into the morning light. Amergin was already rolling around in the dew-coated grasses. His white fur was gleaming now, that tongue sticking out as he bounded from here to there, searching for morning meals.

He could see a few deer in the distance, but they would no doubt get away.

Some rabbits looked to be over yonder.

“Amergin,” Setanta called, whistling a bit. “Boy, that way! Get ‘em!”

The pup looked to him a moment before turning his eyes in the direction of the bunnies. Those dark eyes gleamed even from this distance.

Targets acquired.

His tail was wagging, his snoot moving to the ground a moment as he prepared his footing. Like the great hound he was, he was going to lunge forth with a careful and meticulous precision.

“Get ‘em!” He called again, egging the pup on.

Like a great star streaking across the skies, the pup bounded forth. The rabbits were barely aware until it was too late. Teeth sunk into fur, a snarl ripped through the air and-

“You’re still here?”

Setanta glanced back, looking to the doorway as a sleepy looking maiden stood there. Her brown hair was all waves of deep brown. Her blue eyes were barely open, one being rubbed lightly as the woman looked to him.

“Amergin found some morning food for us,” Setanta replied, grinning a little. “He’s having a great time roaming around in the grasses this mornin’. How are you?”

“I got cold this morning,” Rin complained. “The fire died down this morning.”

Or he’d left the bed, he thought, amused at her words.

Had she become that accustomed to him in one of his two forms being beside her? Come to think of it, he couldn’t recall a single night where the woman hadn’t been curled up against him from dusk til dawn. Last night had been the first time since they’d met that she’d tried to be away from him.

“I can look into how the house is holding up,” Setanta offered. “It could be that the place needs a little work. Drafts can get pretty bad. We’ve got a warm day ahead of us as well. We’re through the snow time, I think.”

Rin nodded, yawning lightly.

“You can always curl up in bed again.”

“I need things,” the woman replied. “And you need to move on, don’t you?”

“Hmm?”

“You need to get back to wherever you came from, don’t you? Just let me have Cu back and you can leave,” she replied sleepily.

“I went over this- I’m Cu…”

She wasn’t listening, heading back into the house and closing the door.

He could feel his mood dropping, his eyes staring at the wooden doorframe in disbelief.

It was nice that she wasn’t seeing him as a threat but really? Did she really think that he’d just shoved a good pup out and decided to pull wool over her eyes like that? He was the pup. Or rather, Cu had been him. He’d been bewitched, changed into a beast just for stealing a pup that was bound by fate for death. He didn’t have anywhere he was needing to be at. Everyone probably already thought him dead.

How could she-

A wetness met his leg.

Glancing down, Setanta groaned.

“Really, Amergin?”

The pup sat on his haunches, tail wagging at the couple of little beasts he’d dropped on his foot. There was now blood on his leg.

“You and I need to talk about our lady friend,” he told the pup, hauling up the food and looking around for the water buckets nearby.

He’d clean himself up and skin these beasties before he started a proper talk with Rin again.

One way or another, they were staying with each other until they both figured out what they wanted to do next.

After all, friends stayed with one another through thick and thin, didn't they?


End file.
